Woman Comes From Wife-Man, Where Man Meant Person
A woman is an adult human female. The Old English behind the word is not what most people assume.
A woman is an adult human female. The etymology is often misread: Old English *wifmann* combined *wif*, a female, with *mann*, which meant a person of either sex. So the word means female person, not a subordinate form of man. The male equivalent was *wer*, which survives only in *werewolf*, literally man-wolf. *Mann* narrowed to mean male only later, leaving English without a neutral term and forcing *human being* into the gap.
- An adult female human. *A woman.*
- Wifmann — female person. *Wifmann.*
- Wer — an adult male. *Werewolf.*
- Mann — a person of either sex. *Mann.*
- Old English — the source. *Old English.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | woman | A woman. |
| Plural | women | Women. |
| Adjective | womanly | Womanly. |
| Old English | wifmann | Female person. |
| Old English | wer | Adult male. |
- The woman opened the door.Person.
- Mann meant a person of either sex.Etymology.
- Werewolf preserves wer.Survival.
Old English person words
- Mann — a human being of either sex
- Wer — an adult male, surviving in werewolf
- Wif — an adult female, giving wife
- Wifmann — female person, giving woman
- Werman — male person, which died out entirely
Old English *wifmann*, from *wif*, a female, plus *mann*, a person of either sex.
Does woman come from man?
From mann, which meant a person of either sex, not from man in the modern male sense. The male-specific word was wer.
Where did wer survive?
Only in werewolf, literally man-wolf. It otherwise disappeared when mann narrowed to mean male.